Welcome to 2021! 

As vaccinations are rolling out and our state is now 7% vaccinated, there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel.  

I want to take this opportunity to thank Diana Curran for her years of service to the department, her patients, and our learners. She has been a valued colleague, educator, and friend. We wish her and her family the very best as they move north for their next adventure.

Best,

Dee E. Fenner, MD
Don't Miss Kayte Spector-Bagdady in the New York Times!
Vaccine Demand Has Health Officials Turning to Eventbrite

Public health officials are using Eventbrite's online ticketing platform to schedule shots. But appointments are still hard to find, and not everyone knows how to use the website.

Read more
www.nytimes.com
Our Faculty and Learners on the Impact of COVID-19 on Education
Dr. Shitashu Uppal, Director of our Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship, and his coauthors call on fellowship program directors to be particularly mindful of the needs and health of their trainees during this time of change and consider tailoring their educational experiences accordingly.
In their new article, Dr. ⁦Elizabeth Southworth (Resident, PGY-1) and her coauthor discuss the effects of COVID-19 on undergraduate medical education and recommend that both educators and students utilize COVID-19 as a catalyst for the reenvisioning of medical education.
Dr. Admon and Team in JAMA Network Open
A new article by Dr. Lindsay Admon, MSc, Kara Zivin, PhD, MA, MS, and Dr. Vanessa Dalton, MPH shows that disruptions in perinatal insurance coverage are associated with a lower likelihood that pregnant people receive early prenatal care or recommended postpartum care.
New Publications by Our OBGYN Residents
Dr. Luke Burns (Resident, PGY-3) shares a senior resident’s perspective on how to balance the blame that can come with heightened responsibilities in Contemporary OB/GYN: “I need to remember that when things go wrong—and they will—I must learn from these experiences without letting them drag me down.”
Dr. Elizabeth Southworth (Resident, PGY-1) and coauthors Dr. Maya Hammoud, MBA and
Dr. Helen Morgan, have a new article in AJOG on the state of residency programs' social media presence.

Dr. Southworth has established a collaboration with ACOG for this upcoming 2021 cycle and will continue her work in the realm of social media as a means of sharing information with residency applicants.
Three New Clinical Trials from Our Gynecologic Oncology Team
  • NRG-GY018: A Phase III Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study of Pembrolizumab in Addition to Paclitaxel and Carboplatin for Measurable Stage III or IVA, Stage IVB or Recurrent Endometrial Cancer. PI: Dr. Jean Siedel

  • NRG-GY019: A Randomized Phase III, Two-Arm Trial of Paclitaxel/Carboplatin/Maintenance Letrozole Versus Letrozole Monotherapy in Patients With Stage II-IV, Primary Low-Grade Serous Carcinoma of the Ovary or Peritoneum. PI: Dr. Jean Siedel 

  • NCT04503668: The objective of this study is to investigate the efficacy of olanzapine as compared to neurokinin-1 receptor antagonists (NK1-RAs) in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in patients with gynecologic malignancies receiving single-day outpatient chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel) every 3 weeks. Olanzapine is cheaper and has been shown to be equally effective in many non-gynecologic cancers. In this clinical trial, we are testing our hypothesis that olanzapine might provide a better nausea control at a lower cost than NK1-RA drugs. The accrual goal is 170 participants. PI: Dr. Aimee Rolston
Learn More about Dr. Stout's Passion for Understanding the Underlying Causes of Preterm Birth
How curiosity inspired a new way to predict preterm births

Molly Stout, M.D., MSCI, may have only arrived at Michigan Medicine six months ago, but her innovative spirit has already made a big impact. As the division chief for Maternal Fetal Medicine, she immediately went to work on her passion project -...

Read more
mmheadlines.org
Introducing our 2021-2022 Administrative Chief Residents!
Welcome to our incoming Administrative Chief Residents, Drs. Katie O’Brien and Cindy Lee, and thank you to Drs. Erin Inman and Sarah Bell for shepherding our program through a very unusual year!
Drs. Villavicencio and Moniz in JAMA Health Forum
In their new article, Drs. Jen Villavicencio, MPP and Michelle Moniz, MSc discuss how efforts to dismantle the ACA during the COVID-19 pandemic are of particular concern for women, who have reaped important benefits from the ACA.
New Articles by Dr. Lawrence and Team
Dr. Emma Lawrence, our Global Women's Health Advanced Trainee, has two recent publications in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics:

Her first article, written in collaboration with Dr. Sarah Bell, Sarah Compton, PhD, MPH, and their Ghanain OBGYN partners, "Preferences and perspectives on vaginal breech delivery in Ghana" found that vaginal breech deliveries can only be offered as safe alternatives to cesarean delivery if training and experience are maintained in low‐resource settings
Her second article, "Preparedness to deal with maternal mortality among obstetric providers at an urban tertiary hospital in Ghana," coauthored by Cheryl Moyer, PhD, MPH, and their OBGYN partners in Ghana, explores the impacts of managing frequent maternal mortalities on obstetric healthcare providers in Ghana.
#OBGynInternChallenge: Helping Residents Prepare for PGY-1
In the summer of 2020, the current PGY-1 class, led by Liz Southworth, MD, put together a CREOGS Over Coffee-inspired #OBGynInternChallenge to prepare for the start of their Michigan Medicine Department of OBGYN residency.

CREOGs Over Coffee is an educational podcast that aims to help busy OBGYN residents prepare for the boards and cover important topics. Dr. Southworth reached out to the podcast creators to get their input on which episodes would be high yield for incoming interns. The team also consulted with Drs. Marzano and Malone on topics that would be key to review in preparation for their first days on L&D and gynecology.

The team also engaged with interns across the country through social media. Each day, one of our interns listened to an assigned podcast episode, created a one-slide summary, and shared it on Twitter. They also posted questions based on the episode to further promote engagement with the content. They received great feedback from incoming residents around the country and were even featured on the CREOGs Over Coffee podcast!

This project provided a unique opportunity for our PGY-1 class to learn together and bond prior to their arrival on campus. The team will share their experience and lessons learned at the CREOG APGO 2021 Annual Conference poster session.
Thank You and Good Luck, Dr. Curran!
After 13 years at Michigan Medicine, Dr. Diana Curran is moving on to a new position at Munson Cadillac Health System in Cadillac, MI. This move brings her and her husband closer to their last parent, her mom.

Dr. Curran joined the Michigan Medicine Department of OBGYN in October 2008 as Associate Program Director to Dr. Clark Nugent. During her time at Michigan Medicine, she rose from Assistant Professor to Clinical Professor and served as Residency Program Director from 2010 to 2017.

Dr. Curran shares that she was lucky to have amazing mentors, most notably the late Dr. Rudi Ansbacher, during her time at Michigan Medicine. She will miss her Michigan Medicine Family greatly and hopes they will keep in touch.
Impressive Showing at SMFM's 2021 Annual Pregnancy Meeting
Approximately 20 Michigan Medicine faculty members and residents will share their research and posters at the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine (SMFM) 2021 Virtual Annual Pregnancy Meeting!

Wednesday, January 27th
Pills, Pot and Powdery Substance – Practical Considerations for MFMs in Addressing Perinatal Substance Use

  • Welcome and Introductions – Courtney D. Townsel, MD, MSc
  • Opioids and Obstetrics – Courtney D. Townsel, MD, MSc
  • Pee and its pitfalls: utility of urine technology – Courtney D. Townsel, MD, MSc
  • Question and Answer – Courtney D. Townsel, MD, MSc

Thursday, January 28th
Poster Session I

  • Can urinary metabolite markers predict the development of postpartum depression? Poster #131. Deborah R. Berman, MD, Patricia Greco, MD, and Ashley Hesson, MD, PhD
  • Changes in healthcare utilization for obstetric patients at during the COVID pandemic. Poster #144. Molly J. Stout, MD, MSCI
  • The use of rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) in cesarean hysterectomies for placenta accreta spectrum (PAS). Poster #233. Alissa R. Carver, MD, and Caitlin Clifford, MD
  • Determining the impact of co-exposure of tobacco on opioid exposed pregnancies. Poster #300. Courtney D. Townsel, MD, MSc
  • The impact of concurrent psychiatric pharmacotherapy on opioid exposed pregnancies. Poster #301. Courtney D. Townsel, MD, MSc

Friday, January 29th
Poster Session III

  • Prenatal aneuploidy screening in a low-risk Hispanic population: price elasticity and cost-effectiveness. Poster #660. Caitlin Clifford, MD
  • Neonatal outcomes after cesarean for non-reassuring fetal status in the first stage of labor. Poster #670. Molly J. Stout, MD, MSCI
  • Post cesarean pain control for patients with opioid use disorder: How are we doing? Poster #677. Molly J. Stout, MD, MSCI
  • Severe Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome is associated with reduced Aromatase in the apical syncytiotrophoblast. Poster #696. Courtney D. Townsel, MD, MSc
  • Exploring sex differences in syncytiotrophoblast aromatase and placental efflux transporter expression in opioid exposed pregnancies. Poster #697. Courtney D. Townsel, MD, MSc
  • Breastfeeding Rates in Patients Treated in a Multidisciplinary Opioid Use Disorder Prenatal Clinic. Poster #699. Molly J. Stout, MD, MSCI
  • Postpartum Depression Screening During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Poster #702. Elizabeth S. Langen, MD, Molly J. Stout, MD, MSCI, Caitlin Clifford, MD, Patricia Greco, MD, Ashley Hesson, MD, PhD, and Ajleeta Sangtani, MD
  • Impact of opioid exposure on apical syncytiotrophoblast aromatase and placental efflux transporters in term pregnancies. Poster #703. Courtney D. Townsel, MD, MSc
  • Can urinary metabolite markers at 12-20 weeks’ gestation be used to predict birthweight? Poster #788. Deborah R. Berman, MD, Patricia Greco, MD, and Ashley Hesson, MD, PhD
  • Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in a pandemic: care delivery, outcomes, and lessons learned. Poster #801. Molly J. Stout, MD, MSCI, Elizabeth S. Langen, MD, Caitlin Clifford, MD, Patricia Greco, MD, Ashley Hesson, MD, PhD, and Ajleeta Sangtani, MD
  • Elective induction of labor at 38 weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cost-effective analysis. Poster #847. Ashley Skeith, MD, MPH
  • Utilization of postpartum home blood pressure monitoring across different obstetrical care settings. Poster #879. Molly J. Stout, MD, MSCI

Saturday, January 30
Poster Session IV

  • Implementation of postpartum home blood pressure monitoring to reduce readmissions for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Poster #925. Molly J. Stout, MD, MSCI
  • Association between capacity for maternal opioid agonist therapy treatment and neonatal abstinence syndrome. Poster #950. Molly J. Stout, MD, MSCI
  • Novel measures of cervical deformation properties on transvaginal ultrasound and prediction of time to delivery. Poster #984. Molly J. Stout, MD, MSCI
  • Prenatal diagnosis of TBC1D32-associated disease by exome sequencing: Further evidence of a new syndrome. Poster #1088. Antonio Lerario, PhD
  • Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a diagnostic challenge in the peripartum setting. Poster #1130. Elizabeth S. Langen, MD, and Ashley Hesson, MD, PhD
  • Social determinants of sleep in pregnant black women. Poster #1156. Louise O’Brien, PhD
Dr. Moniz and Team Recognized for their Contributions to US Policy Discussions in 2020
A January 2020 paper by Dr. Michelle Moniz, MSc, Giselle Kolenic, Anca Tilea, Dr. Lindsay Admon, MSc, and Dr. Vanessa Dalton, MPH, on the high costs of having a baby in the US was recently ranked among Health Affairs' top 20 papers of 2020.

The article gained national attention and was mentioned by over 70 news outlets, including the New York Times, Detroit Free Press, ABC News, and The Atlantic!

Congratulations Dr. Moniz and Team!
Dr. Moyer Recieves Dr. Tom Hall-Dr. Nelson Sewankambo Mid-Career Leadership Award
Cheryl A. Moyer, PhD, MPH is being honored by the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) with the Dr. Tom Hall-Dr. Nelson Sewankambo Mid-Career Leadership Award for her extraordinary leadership in global health, including her work to improve access to health care for women in subSaharan Africa and strengthen research capacity for trainees in this region.

CUGH also recognized Dr. Moyer for efforts to change the paradigm for how academic institutions in the United States effectively partner with colleagues in low resource settings and have enabled numerous young researchers to be empowered through mentorship and training programs. As a founder of Global REACH, at the University of Michigan Medical School, Dr. Moyer has helped connect learners and researchers with scholarly opportunities from around the world.
DEI Event: Black Men in White Coats Documentary and Q&A
The Office of Equity and Inclusion and the Departments of Anesthesiology, Family Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Orthopedics, PM&R, Surgery, and Urology present Black Men in White Coats, a documentary exploring why only 2% of American doctors are black men and what that means for society.

The documentary will be available for individual viewing from February 19-21, 2021. There will be a virtual Q&A session with Dr. Dale, Executive Producer and Founder of Black Men in White Coats, on Feb 22, 2021, at 6:30 pm via Zoom. You can submit questions ahead of time to coshepar@med.umich.edu.
Save the Date!: 2021 Miller Society Meeting
Mark your calendars for the 2021 Annual Norman F. Miller University of Michigan Alumni Society Meeting. Next year's meeting will be held on Friday, September 24, 2021. Stay tuned for more details!
OBGYN Wellness: Virtual Craft Night!
Our first virtual craft night was a success! We were knitting, folding paper, cross-stitching, adhering vinyl, making home décor, and making valentines! We had a great time learning about crafts and discovering our co-workers' creative talents!
Introducing the Newest Members of the OBGYN Family!
Brice Steele Rolston III
- Born January 20, 2021 -
 Astrid Chi Mendoza
- Born January 14, 2021 - 
Congratulations to Drs. Aimee Rolston and Alice Chi and their families!
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